Data from the FPA indicates that innovations in flexible packaging are impacting a range of businesses.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has issued its “2020 State of the Flexible Packaging Industry” report, which was conducted during the first quarter of 2020. While it covers many aspects of the flexible packaging industry, from trade outlook to materials and processes, it does pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impact on the global economy.

Flexible packaging is present in a wide range of applications: retail and institutional food and non-food outlets, medical and pharmaceutical applications, industrial materials, shrink and stretch films, storage bags, and trash bags. The focus of this report is the segment of the industry that adds value by printing, laminating, or coating, or manufacturing bags and pouches (the kind of work we do at AMGRAPH).

According to the FPA, flexible packaging represents approximately 19% of the total $177 billion US packaging industry. It is the second largest packaging segment behind corrugated paper, and just ahead of bottles and miscellaneous rigid plastic packaging. Flexible packaging’s solid long-term strength coupled with its capability to replace other packaging formats resulted in market share growth from 17% in 2000 to 19% in 2019.

The flexible packaging industry employs nearly 79,000 people in the United States, and it includes a variety of manufacturing methods, materials, and resources. Flexible packaging is produced from paper, plastic, film, aluminum foil, or any combination of those materials, and it includes things like pouches, labels, liners, wraps, and other flexible products.

To access the entire report, visit the FPA’s website here. The report is free for members of the Flexible Packaging Association.

At AMGRAPH, we are excited about the possibilities of flexible packaging! The industry is booming, and the innovations in flex packaging are opening up ground-breaking possibilities for our customers. While the pandemic has certainly changed some of the dynamics in our business, we believe our customers, as well as the general public, will continue to reap increasing benefits from this environmentally friendly packaging design. Could flexible packaging be the solution you are looking for? Give us a call, and we’ll show you what it can do for you.